Before joining The Data School, I worked in a role that threw me straight into the deep end learning SQL and Python for handling data. I had to teach myself from scratch and often found the gap between writing a query and the actual execution to be a massive obstacle. I struggled my way through, spending hours unpicking my scripts to find out where my logic was breaking down.
Working with coding languages is inherently abstract. To write good working code requires either a solid understanding of how the code's internal logic works, which to this day is something I'm definitely still developing, or a sophisticated method of visualisation. Without the visual feedback, or support from an expert, it can almost feel like you're fumbling in the dark, trying to force the output that you want without knowing the correct route you need to take to get you there.
This is exactly where a visual data preparation tool like Tableau Prep comes in.
This week was my first time getting hands on experience with Tableau Prep and it really opened my eyes. Getting to see the flow of data between steps really made everything click.
Functions like SQL Joins, previously just lines of code to me, are represented using Venn diagrams allowing for fast and accessible curating of data flows. Another functionality that impressed me is the many built in transformations such as cleaning spelling mistakes or splitting columns can be handled with a simple button click. Beyond that, Tableau Prep allows for calculated fields providing the ability to still write code for solving problems when necessary.
Not only has getting hands on with Tableau Prep been great for the immediate data cleaning tasks but it's also acted as a bridge for my technical understanding of how languages like SQL handle data flow. I would definitely recommend for anyone struggling getting to grips with a language like SQL to practice their logic first in a visual environment like Tableau Prep.
Going forward, I'm excited to learn and practice more with new and different tools for data preparation and further improve my understanding of data flows, whilst further developing my knowledge on how different functions interact with a data table.